Fri 3rd October – Day 146: Griffith

This morning it is hot, hot , hot but the storm clouds of a few days ago seem to be heading our way and the humidity is rising. Despite all this we decide to take the kids on a bushwalk to the lookout behind the main house. A quick walk up we are told on a well-worn track!
I think the last time the family went up here it must have been right in the middle of the dry. We begin our journey with shorts, T-shirts, boots and hats and quickly wish we had long pants, long shirts and gaiters! Shelby decides to take the younger kids home while Pete and I push on with the older ones. It is slow going, with tree branches fallen over the entire hill (was there some kind of tornado through here recently?), weeds and thorny bushes at every turn and a track no-where to be seen. We zigzag our way slowly upward with Chloe stopping every 2 mins to ask ‘how much further’. Mountain goat Toby ploughs on ahead with Rebecca and we quickly get left behind in their quest to be ‘first’.
The views from the top are quite spectacular and after we have caught our breath and drunk all the water bottles we relax for a few minutes taking in the view. The kids however are itching for a swim so we start on the downhill leg thinking ‘thank god’ we aren’t going upwards. This is short-lived as we discover the hazards of high undergrowth, downhill slopes and little to hang on to. We slip, slide and generally bruise ourselves all the way down and I will be happy if I never do that one again!
More horse riding this afternoon and the kids are happy, just hanging out.
Mark takes us on a drive around the property to show us the fate of the dry crops that were doing brilliantly to start the year but are quickly fading on the vine as the wait for rain continues. As we drive home the lightening begins, far off at first, but gathering momentum.
That night we decided a farewell dinner in town would be a fitting last night of our adventure and we sit outside the local pizza joint as the first large drops of rain hit the dusty streets.
The Groat Farm, Myall Park